Jaydon Young doesn’t have to be a featured scorer to swing a game for UNC. He just has to be ready when the shot comes.
That’s the lane in front of the senior guard, who is back for his second season with the Tar Heels after spending two years at Virginia Tech. Last season, Young made four starts and knocked down 13 of 46 attempts from beyond the arc. His top scoring night in a UNC uniform came against Wake Forest, when he finished with 12 points.
The appeal is pretty straightforward: Young has the profile of an experienced perimeter piece who can provide offense in quick bursts. UNC doesn’t need him to run the show. What it needs is for him to slot in cleanly around creators like Terrence Brown and Neo Avdalas, take the open looks that come his way, and finish possessions without having to create everything himself.
He’s already shown flashes of that type of value. Against Indiana, Young scored 10 points off the bench. He also gave the Tar Heels a needed double-digit scoring lift in the second half against Charlotte on a tough night for the team.
The real question is whether that can become a steady part of his game. Young shot 28.3% from three last season, and that number leaves plenty of room for growth.
If he can cash in on the open chances UNC generates, it becomes much easier for Michael Malone to deploy him in different lineups. His defense matters here too; any offensive boost is far more useful if it doesn’t force a tradeoff on the other end.
For Young, a successful season would mean dependable bench minutes and better efficiency from the perimeter. He doesn’t need a heavy shot diet. He just needs enough consistency to make defenses pay attention when he’s on the floor.
UNC can live with Young as a low-usage reserve. If he turns into the kind of shooter who punishes mistakes, he could end up mattering most on the biggest nights.
In Other News...
Bill Belichick's Real Power At UNC May Be Coming Into Focus
North Carolinas front office reshuffling has turned into one of the more revealing storylines around the Tar Heels football program. The school suspended Michael Lombardi from his general manager role on July 27 amid an HR investigation, and he formally resigned in early September, leaving the program to sort through a job that has become increasingly important as college football keeps borrowing more from the pro model.
The search for a replacement is already underway, with former Michigan GM Sean Magee helping consult on the process. What makes the next hire especially interesting is the possibility that the role could be built to report to both athletic director Steve Newmark and head coach Bill Belichick, a structure that would say a lot about how much influence Belichick is expected to wield in Chapel Hill and how UNC wants its football operation to function moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Downs Just Put UNC Fans On Trade Watch
The NFL trade market has started to swirl around a familiar name for North Carolina fans, with former Tar Heels wide receiver Josh Downs now asking the Colts for a move. Downs is in the final year of his rookie contract, and his name has already been floating in trade talk as Indianapolis continues to reshape its roster with a string of notable departures, including Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. For UNC supporters, it is another reminder of how quickly the NFL side of the pipeline can turn into a waiting game.
Downs has long been one of the more recognizable Carolina receivers to follow at the next level, and his situation now sits in the same conversation as teammate Jonathan Taylor. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, have their own receiver story unfolding back in Chapel Hill with Jordan Shipp and the broader push to keep that position producing at a high level. For a fan base that tracks both the college and pro arcs closely, this is the kind of roster-watch wrinkle that can change the mood around a Friday night or Sunday afternoon in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Misses On Five-Star As This Recruitment Slipped Away Fast
North Carolina had a real shot in the mix for five-star prospect Asa Montgomery, but the rising 2027 guard is headed to Duke instead, narrowing one of the more closely watched recruiting battles on the board. Montgomery picked the Blue Devils over a group that included UNC, UConn, Georgia Tech and LSU, a reminder of how quickly elite recruiting can turn when a player starts separating himself from the pack.
For the Tar Heels, the miss adds another layer to a rivalry that tends to show up in the recruiting lanes long before it ever reaches the court. Dukes class keeps building around top-end talent, while UNC now has to keep pressing ahead with other targets and make up ground elsewhere in a cycle where every high-end decision matters. [Read more 🡒]